How Seattle drinks - Currents

Cheers, Jan-Feb, 2004 by Cynthia Nims

Seattle's drinking scene is diverse, from the young crowd that thrives on hip drink trends, to the Cosmo-sippers and the seasoned Scotch whisky drinker who knows his Highland from his Islay--bartenders in the Emerald City serve the whole spectrum with style.

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On the hipster side of things, Seattle has its share of places where one can imbibe every shade of mod cocktail mixings--from blue Hpnotiq to renditions with Red Bull--typically to the throbbing beat of a techno-soundtrack: Toi, Bada Lounge and Barca among them. Popular watering hole Tini Bigs turns out a creative array of cocktails, with some recent additions to the menu that include the Dream Tini (Hpnotiq, Finlandia vodka, sweet & sour) and the $100 Martini (just $8 really, but made with Bacardi Silver rum, Disaranno amaretto, lime juice and orange liqueur, with a faux C-note attached). They even play at politics on the menu, having recently launched the Republican and Democratic Tinis--the same drink (Skyy Spice Vodka, cranberry juice, Apple Pucker Schnapps, garnished with an American flag), but you vote party lines with the way you choose to order. Bartenders will keep track of sales through next year's election, as good a means as any to predict the presidential outcome.

FINE AND MELLOW

At the mellower end of the spectrum, you'll find cocktail cognoscenti around the bar at Zig Zag, on the Hillclimb behind the city's famed Pike Place Market. It's where Seattle's own Drink Boy (aka Robert Hess, the brains behind drinkboy.com) often hangs out, talking the finer points of the art of mixology with owners Ben Dougherty and Kacy Fitch. There, legendary Seattle bartender, Murray Stenson, holds court with his fiercely loyal regulars. While well-versed in the most contemporary drinks, at Zig Zag they won't blink twice if you ask for such old-time tipplers as the Aviation, the Stinger, or the Godfather. Seattle's enjoying a rediscovery of such classic cocktails that had all but slipped completely from the radar.

Intimate bars like Zig Zag, which recently celebrated its first anniversary, are a big draw for Seattle drinkers. A newer addition is Sambar at Le Gourmand restaurant in Ballard. While the restaurant evokes a sort of refined French country experience, the bar is something else altogether. The small space, with seating that spills onto a garden patio, is vibrant, colorful and mod. The drink menu reflects aromatic, savory flavors that seem to drift over from the kitchen. The Sambar Pear Sour uses Clear Creek pear brandy, lemon juice, sugar, and pear nectar, and a Gingerini features gin macerated with fresh ginger, served with lime juice and sugar. Classics such as the Vesper, Manhattan, Sidecar and French 75 are featured on the menu as well.

FINE AND HAPPY

While "fine dining" and "happy hour" rarely co-exist under the same roof, that's not the case at the classy Cascadia in Belltown. Chef/owner Kerry Sear brings on quality eats (most notably mini-burgers of prime beef for a buck a piece) with his new, popular happy hour menu. The tasty snacks are ideal complement to signature Alpine Martinis (Absolut Citron, shaken, served with a "snowball" of Douglas Fir sorbet) and a seasonal rotation of other choice cocktails.

It's not only spirits that charm Seattle drinkers. The Washington Brewer's Guild, with about 50 member breweries in the area, works hard to keep locals in top-quality beer, both in on-premise brewpubs and in alehouses and restaurants around town. Their annual Cask Beer Festival held each October attracts a sell-out crowd, with samples of 30 cask-conditioned ales, many of which are produced solely for the one-day event.

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The wine scene in Seattle is going gang-busters. Washington's wine production is growing rapidly, the state boasting more than 250 wineries as 2003 drew to a close. Recent reports from the fall harvest show a level of quality in the grapes that many believe will make 2003 the best vintage the state has produced to date. Seattle area restaurants and bars are joining the Washington wine bandwagon, offering bottles and glasses of local wines that pair beautifully with our local Northwest cuisine.

FINE AND DANDY

For those blessed designated drivers and others who choose not to imbibe, Seattle bartenders serve up creative options as well. The signature non-alcoholic at Zoe is the "Clear Conscience": fresh tangerine juice, cucumber juice, lemon verbena, lime and soda, shaken and served up. And the new Sambar serves up the Citroen, a blend of verjus, ginger ale, a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, served with a lime twist, as well as a Pomegranate Fizz (pomegranate juice, orange juice and sparkling water).

No matter your beverage appetite, it's a safe bet that few go drinkless in Seattle.

Fair Loire

Wines from the Loire are becoming more popular (see the story on Legal Sea Foods in this issue), so maybe it's a good time to visit the annual wine fair for the entire Loire Valley, in Angers February 2 - 4. The event brings together hundreds of producers and negociants, who will present the 2003 vintage (for which expectations are already very high) as well as retailers, importers and restaurateurs. The Loire is the third largest wine region in France, the second largest producer of sparkling wines and the foremost producer of wine sold in restaurants in France. Organizers expect close to 10,000 visitors, including buyers for large-volume distributors, cellar masters, wine merchants, wholesalers, importers, brokers and sommeliers. To promote international trade, the Salon des Vins de Loire will welcome groups of buyers from the US West Coast as guests of honor. General information is available online at www.salondesvinsdeloire.com.